PALESTINIANS in Gaza are celebrating after mediators confirmed a ceasefire deal has been reached between Hamas and Israel after 15 months of war. The truce is set to take effect on Sunday, January 19.
Israeli forces, however, are continuing with their attacks across the Gaza Strip, killing at least 40 Palestinians in the enclave since the agreement was announced, according to media reports.
Hamas official Izzat al-Risheq says the deal reached in the Qatari capital, Doha, meets all of the Palestinian group’s conditions, including the full withdrawal of Israeli forces, the return of displaced people to their homes and a permanent end to the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump for their “assistance in advancing” an agreement to end “the suffering of dozens of hostages and their families”.
The leader of political party the Palestinian National Initiative has described the ceasefire agreement as a “moment of relief” for the people of Gaza, who continue to endure immense suffering.
Barghouti, however, highlighted the ongoing challenges facing the Palestinian people, including intensified bombardment by Israeli forces until the ceasefire takes effect on Sunday, and the scars left by widespread destruction.
Barghouti emphasised the devastating toll of Israel’s war, with most homes destroyed, families shattered by loss, and the lasting impact of what he calls genocide, collective punishment and ethnic cleansing.
The ceasefire deal being hammered out is believed to include three stages, involving a halt of hostilities and exchange of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners.
The final phase is understood to include discussion around an alternative government to Hamas and plans to rebuild Gaza, which has been devastated.
Despite the ceasefire, the Israeli military has bombed an apartment block belonging to the Issa family near the Qassam cemetery in the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, killing at least two people, the Palestinian Information Center and the Quds News Network report.
This follows our earlier report about an Israeli attack on a residential building in the Nuseirat camp which killed at least one person.
Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 46,707 Palestinians and wounded 110,265 since October 7, 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day and more than 200 were taken captive.
